Differentiated Instruction - Product by Readiness
*Note - Topics for the next two professional development days have been switched. February 17th will now be a building initiative day and March 3rd will now be a technology day.
Step 1 - What is Product? What is Readiness?
Content (November 4) – What we teach and how we give students access to the information and ideas that matter.
Process (December 2) – How students come to understand and “own” the knowledge, understanding, and skills essential to a topic.
Product (January 20 February 3) – How a student demonstrates what he or she has come to know, understand, and be able to do, as a result of a segment of study.
By student Readiness - The current knowledge, understanding, and skill level a student has related to a particular sequence of learning.
Step 2 - Determine Essential "Learnings" that are truly essential for ALL students to obtain.
Step 3 - How Can We Determine Readiness?
MAP, Unit Test, Dibels, BRI, Running Records, ITBS/ITEDS, ANY formative or summative classroom assessment.
Step 4 - Identify the "Middle" of the class and then organize for the middle and for students "outside" the middle
Step 5 - Challenges: If a student can show the teacher that they have come to know, understand, and do the non-negotiables of the unit, how they do so may differ. Excellent product tasks are examples of teaching for success versus "gotcha" teaching.
Step 6 - Obtain assessments, remembering that the goal should not be regurgitation of information, but demonstration of the capacity to use knowledge and skills appropriately. Assessments should enable a student's ability to show how much he or she has learned, not impede it.
Sample ways to differentiate product by student readiness...
Allow assessment answers to be recorded instead of written.
Allow assessments to be read aloud or allow extended time to complete.
Lead small group discussions on various facets of product development (asking good research questions, providing access to bookmarked internet sites, citing references, editing, etc.).
Use similar readiness critique groups during product development (especially for advanced learners).
Use mixed readiness critique groups or teacher led critique groups during product development (especially for students who need extra support).
Develop rubrics or other benchmarks for success based on both grade-level expectations and individual student learning needs.
Follow Up Discussion
Question posted on Monday, February 8th - Reply by Wednesday, February 10th
Question posted on Monday, February 15th - Reply by Wednesday, February 17th
Question posted on Monday, February 22nd - Reply by Wednesday, February 24th
Survey (formative assessment) posted on Monday, March 1st - Reply by Wednesday, March 3rd
Expectations (Weekly Discussion)
Minimum Requirement = Four “Segments of Study” and Weekly Blog Participation. Participants will plan and implement differentiated instruction at least four times during the four weeks following each DI day of professional development. Participants will also be expected to participate weekly in a school blog. The first question for "Product" will be posted on Monday, February 8th.
*Note - Topics for the next two professional development days have been switched. February 17th will now be a building initiative day and March 3rd will now be a technology day.
Step 1 - What is Product? What is Readiness?
Content (November 4) – What we teach and how we give students access to the information and ideas that matter.
Process (December 2) – How students come to understand and “own” the knowledge, understanding, and skills essential to a topic.
Product (January 20 February 3) – How a student demonstrates what he or she has come to know, understand, and be able to do, as a result of a segment of study.
By student Readiness - The current knowledge, understanding, and skill level a student has related to a particular sequence of learning.
Step 2 - Determine Essential "Learnings" that are truly essential for ALL students to obtain.
Step 3 - How Can We Determine Readiness?
MAP, Unit Test, Dibels, BRI, Running Records, ITBS/ITEDS, ANY formative or summative classroom assessment.
Step 4 - Identify the "Middle" of the class and then organize for the middle and for students "outside" the middle
Step 5 - Challenges: If a student can show the teacher that they have come to know, understand, and do the non-negotiables of the unit, how they do so may differ. Excellent product tasks are examples of teaching for success versus "gotcha" teaching.
Step 6 - Obtain assessments, remembering that the goal should not be regurgitation of information, but demonstration of the capacity to use knowledge and skills appropriately. Assessments should enable a student's ability to show how much he or she has learned, not impede it.
Sample ways to differentiate product by student readiness...
Follow Up Discussion
Question posted on Monday, February 8th - Reply by Wednesday, February 10th
Question posted on Monday, February 15th - Reply by Wednesday, February 17th
Question posted on Monday, February 22nd - Reply by Wednesday, February 24th
Survey (formative assessment) posted on Monday, March 1st - Reply by Wednesday, March 3rd
Expectations (Weekly Discussion)
Minimum Requirement = Four “Segments of Study” and Weekly Blog Participation. Participants will plan and implement differentiated instruction at least four times during the four weeks following each DI day of professional development. Participants will also be expected to participate weekly in a school blog. The first question for "Product" will be posted on Monday, February 8th.